Bible Quotation For
Today/Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive
decrees
Isaiah 10/01-34: "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue
oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold
justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and
robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when
disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you
leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives
or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away,
his hand is still upraised. God’s Judgment on Assyria. “Woe to the
Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath! I
send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who
anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down
like mud in the streets. But this is not what he intends, this is not
what he has in mind; his purpose is to destroy, to put an end to many
nations. ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says. ‘Has not Kalno
fared like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad, and Samaria like
Damascus? As my hand seized the kingdoms of the idols, kingdoms whose
images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria— shall I not deal with
Jerusalem and her images as I dealt with Samaria and her idols?’”
When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and
Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the
willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes. For he
says: “‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom,
because I have understanding. I removed the boundaries of nations, I
plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their kings. As
one reaches into a nest, so my hand reached for the wealth of the
nations; as people gather abandoned eggs, so I gathered all the
countries; not one flapped a wing, or opened its mouth to chirp.’”
Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it,
or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield
the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood!
Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon
his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled
like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy
One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his
briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will
completely destroy, as when a sick person wastes away. And the remaining
trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down.
In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no
longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will
return to the Mighty God. Though your people be like the sand by the
sea, Israel, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed,
overwhelming and righteous. The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will carry out
the destruction decreed upon the whole land. Therefore this is what the
Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: “My people who live in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrians, who beat you with a rod and lift up a
club against you, as Egypt did. Very soon my anger against you will end
and my wrath will be directed to their destruction.” The Lord Almighty
will lash them with a whip, as when he struck down Midian at the rock of
Oreb; and he will raise his staff over the waters, as he did in Egypt.
In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke
from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.
They enter Aiath; they pass through Migron; they store supplies at
Mikmash. They go over the pass, and say,“We will camp overnight at Geba.”
Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees. Cry out, Daughter Gallim! Listen,
Laishah! Poor Anathoth! Madmenah is in flight; the people of Gebim take
cover. This day they will halt at Nob;
they will shake their fist at the mount of Daughter Zion, at the hill of
Jerusalem. See, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will lop off the boughs
with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be
brought low. He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax;
Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One."

St. Maroun’s
Day, History & Lessons
By: Elias Bejjani
February 09/15
On the ninth of February for the past 1600 years, Maronites in Lebanon and all
over the world have been celebrating the annual commemoration of St. Maroun, the
founder of their Catholic denomination.
Every year, on the ninth of February, more than ten million Maronites from all
over the world celebrate St. Maroun’s day. On this day, they pay their respect
to the great founder of the Maronite Church, Maroun the priest, the hermit, the
father, the leader and the Saint. They remember what they have been exposed to,
since the 4th century, both good and bad times. They reminisce through the past,
examine the present and contemplate the future. They pray for peace, democracy
and freedom in Lebanon, their homeland, and all over the world.
Who was this Saint, how did he establish his church, where did he live, and who
are his people, the Maronites?
St. Maroun, according to the late great Lebanese philosopher and historian,
Fouad Afram Al-Bustani, was raised in the city of Kouroch. This city is located
northeast of Antioch (presently in Turkey), and to the northwest of Herapolos (Manbieg),
the capital of the third Syria (Al-Furatia). Kouroch is still presently in
existence in Turkey, it is located 15 kilometers to the northwest of Kalas city,
and about 70 kilometers to the north of the Syrian city, Aleppo.
As stated by the historians, Father Boutrous Daou and Fouad Fram Bustani, Maroun
chose a very high location at the Semaan Mountain (called in the past, Nabo
Mountain, after the pagan god, Nabo). Geographically, the Semaan Mountain is
located between Antioch and Aleppo. People had abandoned the mountain for years,
and the area was completely deserted.
The ruins of a historic pagan temple that existed on the mountain attracted
Maroun. Boustan stated that St. Maroun moved to this mountain and decided to
follow the life of a hermit. He made the ruined temple his residence after
excoriating it from devils, but used it only for masses and offerings of the
holy Eucharist. He used to spend all his time in the open air, praying, fasting
and depriving his body from all means of comfort. He became very famous in the
whole area for his faith, holiness and power of curing. Thousands of believers
came to him seeking help and advice.
St. Maroun, was an excellent knowledgeable preacher and a very stubborn believer
in Christ and in Christianity. He was a mystic who started a new
ascetic-spiritual method that attracted many people from all over the Antiochian
Empire. He was a zealous missionary with a passion to spread the message of
Christ by preaching it to others. He sought not only to cure the physical
ailments that people suffered, but had a great quest for nurturing and healing
the “lost souls” of both pagans and Christians of his time. Maroun’s holiness
and countless miracles drew attention throughout the Antiochian Empire. St. John
of Chrysostom sent him a letter around 405 AD expressing his great love and
respect asking St. Maroun to pray for him.
St. Maroun’s way was deeply monastic with emphasis on the spiritual and ascetic
aspects of living. For him, all was connected to God and God was connected to
all. He did not separate the physical and spiritual world and actually used the
physical world to deepen his faith and spiritual experience with God. St. Maroun
embraced the quiet solitude of the Semaan Mountain life. He lived in the open
air exposed to the forces of nature such as sun, rain, hail and snow. His
extraordinary desire to come to know God’s presence in all things allowed him to
transcend such forces, and discover an intimate union with God. He was able to
free himself from the physical world by his passion and eagerness for prayer and
enter into a mystical relationship of love with the creator.
St. Maroun attracted hundreds of monks and priests who came to live with him and
become his disciples and loyal Christian followers. Maroun’s disciples preached
the Bible in the Antiochan Empire (known at the present time as Syria), Lebanon,
Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Israel, They built hundreds of Churches and abbeys as
well as schools and were known for their faith, devotion and perseverance.
At the age of seventy, in the year 410 AD, and after completing his holy
mission, St. Maroun died peacefully while surrounded by his disciples and
followers. His will was to be buried in the same grave with his beloved teacher,
the great monk, Zabena, in the town of Kena, next to Kouroch city, where a
temple was built in Zabena’s name. St. Maroun’s will was not fulfilled, because
the residents of a nearby town were able to take his body and bury him in their
town and build a huge church on his grave. This church was a shrine for
Christians for hundreds of years, and its ruins are still apparent in that town.
After Maroun’s death, his disciples built a huge monastery in honor of his name,
adjacent to the ornate spring, (Naher Al-Assi, located at the Syrian-Lebanese
border). The monastery served for hundreds of years as a pillar for faith,
education, martyrhood and holiness. It was destroyed at the beginning of the
tenth century that witnessed the worst Christian persecution era. During the
savage attack on the monastery more than 300 Maronite priests were killed. The
surviving priests moved to the mountains of Lebanon where with the Marada people
and the native Lebanese were successful in establishing the Maronite nation.
They converted the Lebanese mountains to a fortress of faith and a symbol for
martyrhood, endurance and perseverance.
Initially the Maronite movement reached Lebanon when St. Maroun’s first disciple
Abraham of Cyrrhus, who was called the Apostle of Lebanon, realized that
paganism was thriving in Lebanon, so he set out to convert the pagans to
Christianity by introducing them to the way of St. Maroun. St. Maroun is
considered to be the Father of the spiritual and monastic movement now called
the Maronite Church. This movement had a profound influence on northern Syria,
Lebanon, Cyprus and on many other countries all over the world where the
Maronites currently live. The biggest Maronite community at the present time
lives in Brazil. More than six million Lebanese descendents made Brazil their
home after the massive emigration that took place from Lebanon in the beginning
of this century.
The Maronites made Lebanon their homeland since the 4th century after converting
its native inhabitants to Christianity. They were identified by it, and it was
identified by them, they were and still are one entity. The Maronite people were
always hopeful, faithful and strong believers in the Christian Catholic
doctrine. They made victories of defeats, joy of sorrow and hope of despair. The
Maronites successfully created with hard work and a great deal of faith and
sacrifices, the Maronite nation by fulfilling its four basic pillars, a land, a
people, a civilization and a politically independent entity. They constantly
fight for what was theirs, and never ever surrendered to despair.
Fouad Afram Boustani described the Maronite denomination as, a faith of
intelligence, an identification of life, a solid belief in Catholicism, a love
for others, an ongoing struggle for righteousness, a mentality of openness on
the whole world, and on its different civilizations, and a vehicle for
martyrdom. The Maronites established the state of Lebanon and made it an oasis
for the persecuted in the area. They believed and practiced multiculturalism and
pluralism. They created with the help of other minorities in the Middle East the
unique nation of Lebanon.
God Bless Lebanon!

Maronite
Bishop Antoine Nabil Andari : We Can't Confine Maronism to Those Who Bowed Their
Heads for Personal, Foreign Interests
Naharnet /Maronite Patriarchal Vicar of Jounieh Bishop Antoine Nabil Andari
lamented Sunday that “no one can understand why a new president has not been
elected until the moment,” stressing that Maronism cannot be “confined” to the
ambitions of “those who bowed their heads and knees for the sake of personal and
foreign interests.” “After all what happened, we wonder where is the Christian
spirit – the spirit of tolerance, forgiveness and love – and where is Saint
Maroun and the example he gave us in terms of self-sacrifice for the sake of
others,” Andari said in a sermon marking Saint Maroun's Day, which will be
celebrated Monday in Lebanon and the world.
“When we're asked why don't Maronites in Lebanon agree on a president, what
should we say? We shy away from mentioning the reason and we prefer to say, 'We
don't know' … in order to cover up for the greedy ambitions that are being
pursued at the expense of the people and the country,” the bishop added. He
wondered if the time has come for Maronites to “crucify themselves on the cross
of history” while being subjected to “the mockery of both allies and enemies.”
“Nowadays, we have erred a lot by straying away from our Maronite heritage,
because the lack of religiosity and faith and the negligence of the founding
fathers' spiritual, ideological and moral heritage have led us into the current
situation,” Andari decried.
“Our resurrection can only happen through our faith and unity,” the bishop
underlined. He called for “rising up from the valley of decadence and defeat,”
emphasizing that “Maronism cannot be confined to the level of those who bowed
their heads and knees for the sake of personal and foreign interests, but rather
to the level of those who have raised heads and spread its name and message.”
“Have we forgotten what (late) pope John Paul II had said in the Apostolic
Exhortation when he described Lebanon as the cradle of a deep-rooted culture,
one of the Mediterranean Sea's beacons and the land of unity and diversity?”
Andari went on to say.

Inter-Christian divides blamed for presidential standoff
Antoine Ghattas Saab/The Daily Star/Feb. 09, 2015
The latest flurry of foreign diplomatic activity designed to break Lebanon’s
8-month-old presidential stalemate has failed to produce any tangible results,
raising fears that the country’s top Christian post will remain vacant for quite
some time, political sources said.
The most recent senior foreign official to visit Lebanon in an attempt to
resolve the presidential crisis was French presidential envoy Jean-Francois
Girault, who ended a two-day trip to Beirut Thursday, without making any
progress in his talks with rival Lebanese leaders that would set the stage for
the election of a new president. While the presidential standoff has defied
local, regional and international initiatives, the foreign envoys that visited
Lebanon recently and held talks with Lebanese leaders have blamed political
disputes among the country’s main Christian parties for the deadlock, the
sources said. “Every foreign envoy who visited Lebanon and met with officials
here had prepared a report [to his government] by adding a clause saying: ‘The
[presidential] obstacle lies in inter-Christian differences,’” according to the
sources.The ambassador of an Arab country, which currently wields great
influence in Lebanon, said during a social function a few days ago that the
election of a successor to former President Michel Sleiman, whose six-year term
ended May 25, should take place in the next three months “because the situation
can no longer endure this vacancy in the state’s highest level post.”
The ambassador said he believed that Iran, which has a say in the presidential
election, has mandated the presidential crisis to Hezbollah, an organization
skillful in arranging its cards and bargaining over them. Since Hezbollah is
adamant on its support for Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun for the
presidency and “will not accept another candidate” as Mahmoud Qmati, a member of
Hezbollah’s political bureau, declared after visiting Aoun at his residence in
Rabieh Friday, this certainly signals that the presidential vote has been put on
hold. According to the ambassador, international efforts have been intensified
to try to resolve the presidential crisis, given the importance of the election
of a president in this fateful period. Although the Americans agree with the
Russians, Saudis, French and Iranians on this point in particular, the
ambassador said that so far “the result is zero,” adding that all the diplomatic
activity was merely exploratory to probe the parties’ intentions and sound out
their views on how to break the deadlock.
For his part, a diplomat described the latest French activity over the
presidential election as an attempt by Paris to reassert its presence in
Lebanon, but this activity cannot be translated into the situation on the
ground.
France has been trying to regain some of the role it has lost at the peak of
American and Russian activity across the region, while America is mainly
concerned with mobilizing the world in the fight against ISIS terrorism, and
Iran is active in strengthening its influence in the Middle Eastern arena, the
diplomat said. A Lebanese politician who had the chance to meet Girault told The
Daily Star that the French activity over Lebanon focused chiefly on prodding the
Lebanese factions to decide upon a president and that the decision-making
countries have kicked the presidential ball into their court. Girault, according
to the politician, voiced his concern over the considerable danger facing
Lebanon in light of the Christians’ reluctance to play their main role in their
country.
There is no doubt that the Lebanese presidency has become tied to international
decisions that are fluctuating during the course of negotiations over both
Iran’s nuclear program and the proposed solutions to the region’s crises, the
politician said.
On the eve of a reported meeting between Girault and Maronite Patriarch Beshara
Rai in Rome, sources close to Bkirki, the seat of the Maronite patriarchate,
said that Pope Francis told Rai during their meeting Friday that the Vatican was
continuing in its efforts to encourage the Big Powers to exert pressure on
regional parties to facilitate the presidential election. The Holy See does not
have any preference in the names of presidential candidates and the Vatican’s
contacts are particularly focused on the American side, which currently has
strong cards in its ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, the
sources said.

Israel Gravely Concerned by Developments along Border with
Lebanon
Naharnet/Israel expressed fear over an escalation along its northern border with
Lebanon as its Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon sounded the alarm over the upcoming
developments after Hizbullah's attack against an military vehicle in the
occupied Shebaa Farms, media reports said on Sunday. “The situation along the
northern border with Lebanon and Syria is heading towards further escalation,”
Yaalon said in comments to Israel's Channel 10. The Israeli official pointed out
that he based his remarks on security reports and Hizbullah's political
attitude. Yaalon accused Hizbullah, the Syrian regime and Iran are trying to
“create a new equation along its border,” adding that Hizbullah “is seeking to
establish a new frontier in the Golan Heights.”At the end of January, two
Israeli soldiers were killed and seven wounded in a Hizbullah attack on a
military convoy in the occupied Shebaa Farms. The attack prompted Israel to
shell areas in southern Lebanon in a significant escalation along the volatile
border. Hizbullah said in its claim of responsibility that it targeted several
vehicles transporting officers and soldiers with missiles to avenge the Israeli
raid on Syria's Quneitra that killed six of its fighters and a top Iranian
general. For his party, outgoing Israel's armed forces chief Lieutenant General
Benny Gantz expressed grave concern over the security situation in Israel,
warning that a “war could erupt on several frontiers, including the Gaza strip
and Lebanon.” “Israel almost slipped into a dangerous escalation with Hizbullah,”
Gantz noted, pointing out that the Israeli retaliation would have been far more
enormous if ten soldiers were killed in the Shebaa attack.

14 Dead in Egypt Police Clashes with
Football Fans Naharnet Newsdesk 7 hours ago/Fourteen people were killed Sunday
in clashes between Egyptian police and football fans at a Cairo stadium, state
media reported, in the country's deadliest sports violence since dozens died at
a match in 2012. The agency quoted the state prosecution as saying 14 bodies of
those killed in the clashes had been taken to a morgue. The health ministry had
initially said that three people died in the violence, which was sparked when
fans tried to force their way into the venue to watch a game. The match between
Zamalek and Enbi was open to the public, unlike most other games between
Egyptian football clubs since deadly stadium riots in Port Said in 2012. But the
interior ministry had restricted to 10,000 the number of spectators allowed into
the stadium, and tickets quickly ran out. Angry members of the Ultra White
Knights, a group of hardcore Zamalek fans, tried to force their way into the
stadium, police said. Police fired tear gas to disperse them, before the Zamalek
supporters let off fireworks, police and witnesses said.In February 2012, more
than 70 people were killed and hundreds injured in post-match violence following
a game in Port Said between Cairo's al-Ahly and al-Masry. The riots were
considered the deadliest in Egypt's sports history. Agence France Presse

Bekaa Fugitives Flee Area ahead of Implementation of Security Plan
Naharnet/Outlaws in the eastern Bekaa Valley have reportedly fled the area to
evade a much-anticipated security plan expected to be implemented soon, media
reports said on Sunday. Sources said in comments published in the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa
newspaper that dangerous fugitives left their homes in the eastern Bekaa and
headed to the Syrian town of Qusayr and other neighboring towns. Interior
Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced recently the Central Security Council
discussed the measures that will be implemented in the Bekaa to maintain
stability. The plan seeks to clamp down on criminals in the Bekaa where certain
areas, such as the town of Brital, are known to be a safe haven for car-theft
gangs and drug dealers, as well as networks that kidnap people in return for
ransom. The army had launched a crackdown on assailants in Beirut's southern
suburbs and several other areas in an attempt to halt security chaos across the
country. Security sources told An Nahar newspaper that the security plan is not
linked to any of the security measures that the army has taken along Lebanon's
border with Syria. The sources added that the army is exerting efforts to strike
with an iron fist in the Bekaa to reduce the security violations. Speaker Nabih
Berri has warned recently offenders in the Bekaa Valley that they will
eventually have no choice but to hand themselves over to security forces, flee
the country or face death ahead of the implementation of a security plan in the
area. “The Bekaa will not remain a safe haven for fugitives,” Berri was quoted
as saying.
Fabius Expresses France's Staunch Support to Lebanon during Meeting with Salam
Naharnet/French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius informed Prime Minister Tammam
Salam on Sunday that the first shipment of French weapons, part of a $3 billion
Saudi deal, is expected to arrive in Lebanon in April. Fabius's statement was
made during a meeting with Salam on the sidelines of the 51st Munich Security
Conference. “France is keen to support Lebanon and safeguards its security,
stability and unity and fortify its state institutions,” Fabius told the
Lebanese PM. Saudi Arabia last year announced it would give the Lebanese army $3
billion to purchase weapons and equipment from France, but that deal has yet to
be fully implemented. In August, the kingdom offered another $1 billion in funds
to allow the army to purchase supplies immediately. For his part, Salam
expressed gratitude to Fabius on the efforts carried out by France to facilitate
the election of a new president in Lebanon as the FM stressed that Paris “will
continue its endeavors to reach a positive result in this regard.” The two
officials also tackled the Syrian refugees crisis. U.N. refugee agency UNHCR has
registered 1.5 million arrivals, but many more are thought to be in the country
unregistered, and thousands have entered Lebanon through illegal crossings. The
influx has tested the country's limited resources, as well as the patience of
its citizens, particularly as security has deteriorated. Salam had also
discussed on Saturday in Munich with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,
Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif and several other officials the latest
developments in Lebanon and the region. The PM held talks with Kurdistan
President Massoud Barzani, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, UAE FM Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed bin al-Nahyan, Iraqi premier Haider al-Abadi and Norway's FM
Borge Brende. The event's organizer, veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger,
said the conference focuses what he called an unprecedented upsurge in global
crises over the past year, and the inability of the international community to
tackle them. Salam stressed in his speech during the conference that the
presence of refugees in a country of such fragile economic and political scenes
as Lebanon is a “ticking time bomb”. He said: “The large number of Syrian
refugees in Lebanon has led to an increase in crime due to unemployment and
poverty.” The PM had kicked off his trip to Germany with talks with Bahraini
Foreign Minister Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa.
Jumblat Urges Reviving 'National Aspect' of Presidential Vote instead of
'Limiting it to Christians'
Naharnet/Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Sunday called
for “thinking of new solutions to overcome the current situation” in the
presidential crisis, calling for “reviving the national aspect of this juncture
instead of limiting it to the Christian parties.”“In the face of the
procrastination and obstinacy in the stances of the political forces towards the
issue of the presidential election, after long months of presidential void, and
given the rise in the intensity of the regional conflicts around Lebanon, it has
become necessary to think of new solutions to overcome the current situation,”
said Jumblat in his weekly editorial in the PSP's al-Anbaa electronic magazine.
“Perhaps the first idea to reach a new stage in this regard should be reviving
the national aspect of this juncture instead of limiting it to the Christian
parties, because this would detract from the president's role as a unifier of
all Lebanese,” Jumblat added. Lebanon has been without a president since May
when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.
Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have torpedoed the
elections. Dialogue got underway recently between two key Christian parties –
the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces – and the stalled
presidential vote is one of the main topics.
“A long time has passed amid the absence of serious agreements over the
characteristics of the new president, and this requires the cooperation of the
rest of parties on the basis of consultation instead of monopolizing the
decision,” Jumblat went on to say.
He warned that the continued vacuum could “gradually lead to usurping some
presidential powers by disregarding the previous norms and producing new ones
through successive mechanisms that might be approved by the council of
ministers.”“This may give the impression that the country is moving forward
normally without the need to elect a new president,” Jumblat cautioned. He also
called on all political parties to “admit that a presidential settlement is
inevitable” instead of “awaiting the outcome of foreign agreements that might
require a long time.”“Amid the accumulation of the foreign challenges, we need
to immunize internal stability and activate the work of institutions,” Jumblat
added.

Lebanon gets U.S. arms, vehicles to fight militants
Agence France Presse, Beirut/Sunday, 8 February 2015
The Lebanese army received a shipment of U.S. weapons on Sunday, an embassy
official told AFP, to help in the fight against Islamist militants who have
staged incursions from Syria. “The Lebanese military received 72 M198 power
supply [howitzers], and more than 25 million rounds of artillery, mortar and
rifle ammunition,” the official said on condition of anonymity. In a statement,
the U.S. Embassy said the aid was worth $25 million, adding that the 26 million
rounds of ammunition included small, medium and heavy artillery rounds. “Support
for the [Lebanese military] remains a top priority for the United States. Recent
attacks against Lebanon’s army only strengthen America’s resolve to stand in
solidarity with the people of Lebanon to confront these threats,” said the
embassy. It added: “The United States is providing top of the line weapons to
the [Lebanese army] to help Lebanon’s brave soldiers in their confrontation with
the terrorists.” In recent months, Lebanon’s army has fought several battles
against jihadists streaming in from across the restive border with Syria. The
deadliest battle took place last August in the border town of Arsal. The
jihadists withdrew after a deal brokered by Lebanese Sunni clerics, but they
took with them more than two dozen army and police hostages. Four of the
hostages have since been executed, and efforts to release the remaining 25
appear completely stalled. A Lebanese army soldier stands next to artillery
pieces that were unloaded from a ship at Beirut’s port in Lebanon on Sunday,
Feb. 8, 2015. (AP) In 2014, Lebanon was the fifth largest recipient of U.S.
foreign military aid, the embassy said. “In 2014 alone, the United States
provided over $100 million to the [Lebanese military], adding to the $1 billion
in assistance provided … since 2006,” said the statement. The civil war raging
in Syria, which in nearly four years has killed more than 210,000 people, has
had a major security, economic and humanitarian impact on Lebanon. The tiny
Mediterranean country was dominated militarily and politically by Syria for
nearly 30 years until 2005. It remains divided over the conflict in Syria, with
Shiite Hezbollah and its allies backing President Bashar al-Assad, and the
Sunni-led opposition supporting the revolt.

The United States just sent a strong message to Hezbollah
By NADAV POLLACK/J.Post 02/07/2015
The latest revelations about US role in Mughniyeh’s assassination are aimed to
demonstrate to Hezbollah that the US is still willing and able to meet
Hezbollah’s operatives on this battlefield.
The latest Washington Post article about US involvement in Imad Mughniyeh’s
assassination sheds light on one of the most complicated and successful
operations the CIA and the Mossad have jointly executed. Starting with the
specific intelligence about Mughniyeh’s daily routine, to the CIA spotter team
in Syria, and the highly sophisticated explosive that was used to kill
Hezbollah’s top commander, it is apparent that much planning was involved in
this operation.
According to the article the CIA helped to build the bomb that killed Mughniyeh
and played an integral part in the intelligence-gathering aspect of the
operation.
Moreover, as a former US official stated, the Americans were the ones that first
suggested killing Mughniyeh. However, as in many other ground-breaking stories
about daring CIA operations, there’s more to this story. Intelligence agencies
don’t just volunteer confidential information. They have an objective in mind in
coming forward with this type of information.
According to some reporters, in this particular instance the motive was to show
Israel, and more specifically Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel
needs the US to execute such complicated operations.
However, the US has better channels to pass Israel messages about security
cooperation, and it seems that revealing such confidential information just to
convey this message is a little bit over the top.
No, the declassification of the information about Mughniyeh’s assassination is
about something else.
The message is not addressed to Israel, but rather to Hezbollah, and it goes
something like this: when you decide to target our forces and citizens, we will
take action. If the US wanted to show that it is still willing and able to
target Hezbollah operatives, this revelation nailed it.
To be clear, Hezbollah probably knew even before this story broke that the US
had something to do with Mughniyeh’s death, as it believes that every Israeli
covert operation in the region is probably coordinated with the Americans. In
the case of Mughniyeh, a man with much American blood on his hands, its belief
that the US was involved was probably even stronger.
However, now that it is clear that the US was highly involved, not just
supporting the operation but contributing valuable assets and willing to put its
people in danger, Hezbollah’s perception of the extent to which the US is
willing to meet Hezbollah in the field will change.
But why now? In recent years Hezbollah along with the Iranian Revolutionary
Guard Corps’ Quds Force targeted mainly Israelis, including high-level
officials, but also Americans, in multiple locations. These attempts were
managed by Hezbollah’s External Security Organization (ESO) and Unit 400 of the
Quds Force, and their motive was retaliation both for Mughniyeh’s assassination
and the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists. As counter-terrorism expert
Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute wrote, these efforts were not
successful (excluding the attack on a group of Israelis in Bulgaria) mainly
because “targets were poorly chosen and assaults carried out with gross
incompetence.”
Some of these plots involved laying the groundwork for quick retaliatory strikes
in the event that Israel or the US, or both, attacked Iran’s nuclear sites. The
US focused its intelligence efforts on countering these attempts, but did not
take extensive measures against the Hezbollah operatives that were behind them.
Another theater in which the US has faced Hezbollah was Iraq. During the Iraq
war Hezbollah operatives were training and aiding Shi’ite militias which
targeted coalition forces, on multiple occasions resulting in the loss of
American lives. Hezbollah’s operations in Iraq were overseen by Unit 3800, which
is responsible for training Shi’ite militias and helping them with logistics;
the unit is still very much active in Iraq today.
Currently, Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies are still fighting in Iraq,
mainly against Islamic State (IS), but if Iran or Hezbollah feel they can
extract a price from the US over its presence in the country, they could
suddenly change their aim.
Moreover, as the US is becoming more and more involved in Syria, it’s possible
that the friction points between American forces and Hezbollah fighters will
increase. Hezbollah’s fighters are engaging in Syria by the thousands, and if
the US decides to get more involved, whether it’s increasing the training of the
rebels or putting boots on the ground, it’s possible that Hezbollah will want to
make this involvement pricy for the Americans.
In this scenario Hezbollah will need to take into consideration US willingness
to challenge it on the battlefield.
This battlefield does not have to be a standard one in which American forces are
fighting directly against Hezbollah, but could be more similar to the shadow war
Hezbollah and Israel have been fighting. This behind-the-scenes struggle could
mean the targeting of American bases in the surrounding countries (Turkey, Iraq,
Jordan), or of Americans in countries where Hezbollah has already a logistics
infrastructure.
The latest revelations about US role in Mughniyeh’s assassination are aimed to
demonstrate to Hezbollah that the US is still willing and able to meet
Hezbollah’s operatives on this battlefield. Whether it was someone in the White
House or someone in the CIA that sent this message, it was loud and clear – when
the US feels Hezbollah has crossed a red line, it will find the individual that
is responsible and retaliate, Mughniyeh-style.
**The author is currently a masters student at Princeton focusing on the Middle
East and American foreign policy.

Netanyahu: US, Iran galloping towards deal which threatens
Israel
Ynetnews/Published: 02.08.15/ Israel News
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says US, Iranian commitment to reach nuclear
deal with Iran by March a danger to Israel, vows Israel 'will do everything,
take any action to foil this bad deal.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated once again his promise to stop at
nothing to prevent Iran from reaching nuclear capabilities, or maintain the
ability to do so quickly through a deal with the west.
His comments came US Secretary of State Kerry met with his Iranian counterpart
Mohammad Javad Zarif Friday and again Sunday in Munich, where the top US
diplomat stressed Washington's commitment to seeing the deadline met.
"The major powers and Iran are galloping toward an agreement that will enable
Iran to arm itself with nuclear weapons, which will endanger the existence of
the State of Israel," Netanyahu said at Israeli government's weekly cabinet
meeting.
Netanyahu took aim at Kerry and Zarif, saying that their intention to complete a
framework agreement by the end of March, forces Israel to take action. "From
this (commitment stems the urgency of our efforts to try and block this bad and
dangerous agreement.
"We will continue to take action and to lead the international effort against
Iran's arming itself with nuclear weapons. We will do everything and will take
any action to foil this bad and dangerous agreement that will place a heavy
cloud over the future of the State of Israel and its security," Netanyahu said.
Kerry ruled out extending a March 31 deadline for Iran nuclear talks unless the
basic framework of an agreement is hammered out, speaking in an interview aired
Sunday.
"The only chance I can see of an extension at this point in time would be that
you really have the outlines of the agreement," Kerry said in the interview on
NBC's "Meet the Press" taped Saturday in Munich.
Global powers have been struggling for more than a year to pin down a
comprehensive deal to rein in Iran's suspected nuclear program, after an interim
accord was struck in November 2013.
After their meeting Sunday, Zarif appeared to rule out any new extension to
tough negotiations with world powers.
Kerry said outlining the basics of the agreement was crucial before a possible
extension could be considered, but reiterated his preference for sticking to the
target date.
"But if we're not able to make the fundamental decisions that have to be made
over the course of the next weeks, literally, I think it would be impossible to
extend," he told NBC.
"I don't think we would want to extend at that point. Either you make the
decisions to prove your program is a peaceful one, or if you're unable to do
that, it may tell a story that none of us want to hear."
After missing two previous deadlines, the group known as the P5+1 - Britain,
China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States - set a March 31 deadline
for a political agreement.
That would be followed by a final deal setting out all the technical points of
what would be a complex accord by June 30.
But the atmosphere has been complicated by hardliners both in Iran and the
United States, with US lawmakers threatening to impose new sanctions on Iran if
the March deadline is missed.
AFP contributed to this report

Jordan conducts 56 air raids against
ISIS in 3 days: 'We will wipe them off the face of the Earth'
By REUTERS/ 02/08/2015
Jordan's air force chief said on Sunday his country's jet fighters had conducted
56 bombing raids in three days against Islamic State militants in northeast
Syria, targeting key bases and arms depots. Jordan stepped up its bombing of the
jihadist group on Thursday in response to the brutal killing by Islamic State of
a captured Jordanian pilot, and continued until Saturday. No new strikes were
announced for Sunday. "We achieved what we aimed for. We destroyed logistics
centers, arms depots and targeted hideouts of their fighters," General Mansour
al-Jbour, head of the Jordanian airforce, told a news conference. Jordan has
carried out nearly a fifth of the sorties of the U.S.-led coalition against
Islamic State in Syria to date, Jbour said. US aircraft joined the mission to
provide intelligence, surveillance, a U.S. official told Reuters earlier on
Sunday. The raids had "degraded" nearly 20 percent of the militants'
capabilities, he said. Jbour said the main aims of the bombing would continue to
be to try to hit IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to stop the group's illicit oil
trade, and to destroy their training bases, garrisons and command centers. "We
are determined to wipe them from the face of the Earth," the general said. At
least 7,000 militants had been killed in the last few weeks of coalition
bombing, he said.
Jordan's King Abdullah has vowed to avenge the killing of pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh
and has ordered his commanders to prepare for a bigger military role in the
international coalition fighting Islamic State. Many Jordanians fear greater
involvement could trigger a backlash by hardline militants inside the kingdom.
Jordanian military experts say the kingdom could soon struggle to sustain the
intensity of the past few days of air strikes, given the air force only has 40
mid-life F16 jets at its disposal. A squadron of F16 jet fighters from the
United Arab Emirates was expected in Jordan in the coming days. It will conduct
joint air strikes with Jordanian colleagues against the Islamic militants,
Jordanian officials said on Saturday. Jbour said the frequency of future sorties
would vary. "This does not mean in any way that we will continue at the same
momentum with the same number of flights but will increase one day and drop one
day according to the nature of the operations," he said Jordan's monarch has
been lobbying Washington, the kingdom's main backer, to provide it with more
spare parts, night vision equipment and other weapons to help it expand its
operations.

ISIS has Jordan in its sights
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al Awsat
Sunday, 8 Feb, 2015
The Syrian crisis is even more protracted and dangerous for Jordan than the
burning to death of Jordanian pilot Moaz Al-Kasasbeh would suggest. This hideous
crime was designed to stir Arab and international uproar in general, and provoke
the Jordanians in particular. The crime reflects the intentions of the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) towards Jordan, which has been dealing with the
fallout from the crisis of its northern neighbor Syria since the very beginning
of the uprising there.
I think Jordan has an important role to play in Syria, one that it hasn’t yet
taken. Although it has avoided engaging in the struggle directly, Jordan has not
been allowed to remain distant from the crisis by the Syrians themselves. While
the Syrian regime is aware that its borders with Jordan are a regional red line
and will therefore never dare cross them, ISIS sees Jordan as the best candidate
for its next target.
Jordan is a country with a wholly Arab Sunni environment. It neighbors Israel
and, geographically speaking, complements the southern part of ISIS’s territory
in southwest Iraq, where ISIS’ presence directly threatens Saudi Arabia. ISIS
does not care about attacking areas where Sunnis are a minority, like Iraqi
Shi’ite provinces or Syrian Alawite ones. It wants to take over areas which it
thinks it can subjugate and turn into a reservoir of support for its sectarian
policies, even if the population opposes its political system. One can follow
the path taken by ISIS from Iraq to Syria to see how the organization thinks. I
don’t want to expend much time on understanding the group’s motives, but what is
certain is that it considers Jordan an enemy more serious than the Syrian
regime, which opened conduits for it to strike at the opposition Free Syrian
Army (FSA)—an enemy to both sides.
Jordan has not been able to play a direct role during the past four years of the
Syrian conflict because of its clear stance against getting involved in that
conflict. However, getting involved is not an option when the people in your
country can actually hear the Syrian regime’s shelling of Syrian towns like
Dera’a, and when your country hosts more than half a million Syrian refugees—a
significant population that is posing serious financial, political and security
challenges for Jordan. At a later point, Jordanian forces may end up getting
unwillingly dragged into Syria and having to choose a side. It’s no secret the
FSA operates in northern Jordan, and inside the southern Syrian borders which it
almost completely controls. But it is not yet an armed force with enough
advanced weapons to enable it to take over Damascus, which is only 60 miles (100
kilometers) away from Dera’a—or an hour’s drive.
If Jordan and the other countries backing the FSA had taken the risk and enabled
the FSA to enter and control Damascus, we may not have arrived at this
complicated and dangerous phase in which terrorist organizations have emerged to
become the biggest threat confronting the world. Can Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq
and the rest of the region’s countries tolerate the repercussions of the Syrian
crisis, along with all these terrorist organizations and the Syrian regime’s
criminality, for another 10 years? Can anyone allow the situation on the
northern front near Turkey, which the Al-Nusra Front dominates, to continue? We
saw how it was difficult to liberate a town like Kobani from ISIS fighters, and
how ISIS threatened the security of the entire Kurdistan region, which had been
fortified for two decades. ISIS continues to occupy two big Iraqi cites—Mosul
and Kirkuk—and all Iraqi, American and Iranian attempts to liberate them so far
have failed. Bearing this in mind, we cannot underestimate the threat of ISIS
and categorize its acts as mere terrorist operations—on the contrary, it is
capable of invading, dominating, settling and expanding in more territory. The
hideous manner in which ISIS murdered the Jordanian pilot aimed to intimidate
Jordanians and others. The video of his murder has been viewed just enough to
instill fear and deliver the message that the arrival of the organization’s
fighters alone is enough to terrify civilians—and this is exactly what happened
in the Iraqi cities which ISIS attacked and invaded.

To Defeat ISIS, Check Iran and Israel
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Alawsat/Sunday, 8 Feb, 2015
The latest crime committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—and I
do not expect it to be the last—barely adds anything new to the criminal record
of this kind of terrorism, which brings together the worst manifestations of the
crimes committed by the Crusaders under the pretext of Christianity and the zest
felt by sadists for killing and torture. After their acts of mass and individual
slaughter, and their broadcast around the world, we now see ISIS executing
people by burning them alive. Who knows, perhaps these killers will think up
even more inventive and disgusting crimes in the future.
The perpetrators seem to be keen to associate this “carnival” of savagery
exclusively with Islam, although most religions have experience at one point or
another in their history with bloody violence and internal strife, before
accepting and valuing differences of opinion. There is no need to revisit all
the religious wars and atrocities that have been committed throughout human
history—not to mention the sectarian conflicts that have broken out between
followers of the same religion. However, the eyes of the world, thanks to the
finest media and social networking outlets, are now firmly focused on Islam,
while Muslims stand idly by, incapable of coming up with a new logic to confront
those who are putting forward a false image of their religion in the name of
their own exclusionary faith.
But this shortfall is not limited to Muslims. World leaders are also acting as
if they prefer to treat superficial symptoms, rather than deal with root causes.
Execution by burning alive, as it was carried out by ISIS, was a commonplace
punishment in the West for centuries, and for a number of offenses, including
religious dogma and heresy. Those burned at the stake in the West include the
great Christian reformer Jan Hus (1415), French nationalist hero and Catholic
Saint Joan of Arc (1431), Italian monk Savonarola (1498), and Archbishop of
Canterbury Thomas Cranmer (1556), among others.
This method of execution took place in the West before the establishment of
modern states based on open, rational and accountable institutions and
authorities. It also took place before, of course, the so-called “communications
revolution” that ISIS and its ilk are exploiting today in the worst manner
imaginable. Our problem, as Muslims, is that generally speaking we did not
succeed in building such “modern states” whose institutions are more advanced
than the technical knowhow currently available to those perpetrating the most
heinous crimes against Islam, in the name of Islam.
There can be no doubt today that the Arab world is being targeted and weakened.
There is no doubt either that Israeli occupation and the Iranian expansion in
the Arab Mashreq have played a major role in increasing religious and sectarian
extremism across the region. However, it would be incorrect to portray this
phenomenon solely as a “conspiracy” exploiting the difficult regional
situation—the emergence of groups outside the region like Boko Haram in Nigeria
and the Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in Mali proves this is not the case.
Groups such as this are utilizing precisely the same extremist and terrorist
approach—but outside the region.
Despite this, the Arab Mashreq is clearly moving towards the unknown, and will
continue to do so as long as international counter-terrorism strategy favors a
limited military approach over a comprehensive political one. The priorities of
the current US administration in the Arab Mashreq over the past two years have
become increasingly clear: the one constant of Barack Obama’s policy in the
region has been normalization—and subsequently alliance—with Iran.
Even the so-called “Israel lobby,” which for a long time viewed Washington as
its “home ground,” is now finding itself in a situation unprecedented since
1948. For the first time in decades, the Israel lobby has found itself competing
for influence in the US capital, which has led some of its members to embark on
petty actions that do not enjoy the unanimous backing of pro-Israeli Americans,
such as inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress.
Here we find ourselves facing a paradox: while ISIS’s crimes are encouraging the
world to answer Washington’s call to combat this form of terrorism, we also see
that the deliberate absence of political rapprochement is serving the interests
of the terrorists, weakening the arguments of the moderates, increasing the
suffering of innocents, and hastening the fragmentation of the region. In the
meantime, Iran is benefiting from Washington’s tacit support through creating a
new fait accompli everywhere it has succeeded in imposing its control,
namely—and according to its own leadership—in four Arab states: Iraq, Syria,
Yemen and Lebanon.
It is no secret that when the Syrian regime began responding to the popular
uprising with violent, armed oppression, Washington had plenty of time, as well
as the capability, to impose no-fly zones in northern and southern Syria.
However, the Obama administration failed, time and again, to take a firm
position. This served to encourage the regime to escalate its oppressive tactics
and discourage would-be defectors from the Syrian army and state apparatus. It
has also prolonged the crisis long enough to allow foreign extremists and
terrorists to flock to Syria and take over the uprising. Lebanese and Iraqi
militias also got involved in the fighting after receiving their orders from
Iran, leaving Tehran in actual control of the Syrian regime’s territory.
Today, as part of the struggle taking place between Iran and Israel over who
occupies the role of “regional policeman,” the Lebanese theater of operations
has been extended to include the Golan Heights. The latest Israeli operation
inside Syria’s Quneitra governorate resulted in the death of an Iranian general,
while Tehran responded with a lethal operation in Lebanon’s Shebaa Farms area.
This reveals not just the extent to which Iran is directly embroiled in the war
to gain hegemony over the Arab Mashreq, but also the level of US backing for the
so-called “balance of influence” in the region between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
In addition to imposing a “ceiling” on the Iranian–Israeli skirmishes on the
Golan Front, Washington, according to well-informed sources, is also backing the
superficial dialogue that is currently taking place in Lebanon between the
Future bloc and Hezbollah, as well as the mission that has been undertaken by UN
envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar. However, both countries are under de facto Iranian
military occupation by Hezbollah and the Houthis respectively. This means that
Washington’s real goal is negotiations that secure a sham compromise that in
reality means nothing and changes nothing. Rather, what it is doing is granting
this occupation the cover of political legitimacy.
The retreat of moderation in the Sunni street serves no one in the Arab Mashreq,
particularly the non-Sunni and non-Muslim minorities. However, this is precisely
where we are heading.
The first step in destroying ISIS must be to deter Israeli settlement-building
and stop Iranian expansionism—any other option will most likely fail.
Netanyahu, do the right thing: Don’t go to WashingtonBen-Dror Yemini /Ynetnews/
Published: 02.08.15 / Israel Opinion
Op-ed: Agreement with Iran will be determined by US administration, not by
Congress. That’s who Israel’s prime minister should address, warn and maintain a
good relationship with. Instead, he is turning our most important and strategic
friend into a rival.
Don’t go, Netanyahu, don’t go, precisely because the Iranian threat is so
important, precisely because you are right, precisely because the things you are
planning to say at the US Congress are important – don’t go. Because this trip
will impair the exact issue that you are traveling on behalf of. You know that,
Mr. Netanyahu. So if you are really concerned, you should do the right thing.
The intention was good. It turns out that the House of Representative speaker
had even informed the White House, and that the White House hadn’t bothered
answering. But now it turns out that there was also some deception. The
invitation wasn’t made with both parties’ consent. It was a one-party
invitation. It was the opposition’s invitation. It was an invitation which was
aimed more at censuring the White House and President Barack Obama than warning
against the Iranian threat.
With all due respect to the Republican majority in the Congress, the clauses of
the agreement with Iran will be determined by the administration, not by the
Congress. That’s who you should address. That’s who you should warn. That’s
where you need to have a good, direct and real relationship. Because that’s
where the decisions are made.
We know that Obama is wrong and that you are right. But if there is still a
chance to get him to change his mind, you are making every possible mistake in
order to turn him into a rival. Vice President Joe Biden has already announced
that he will not attend your address. What other hint do you need in order to
realize that you should change direction?
Mr. Prime Minister, there is a problem with your body language. You, the best
speaker of all with the excellent PR skills, the man who knows so much, is
succeeding in turning our most important friend, our strategic friend, into a
rival. This isn’t happening because you’re wrong; it’s happening because you
convey constant anger. Look at Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. He represents a
dark country, which stones women and executes homosexuals. But unlike you, he
smiles. He just smiles. And at the end of the day, he is portrayed as moderate,
while you are portrayed as Slobodan Milošević, the notorious leader of an
aggressive entity.
So what good does it do that you are right? All you have succeeded in doing is
deteriorating our relations with an American administration and an American
president who we need so much right now, as we face a strategic threat. These
things, Mr. Netanyahu, are being written by a person who supported you on the
Iranian issue throughout the way. There are things you can take credit for.
While it isn’t clear that the sanctions were imposed on Iran thanks to you, it
is clear that you made a serious and important contribution. Precisely because
of that, Mr. Prime Minister, you must do the thing which you too, deep inside,
know is the right thing to do.
If you go back on your decision, we will all know that the national interest is
more important to you than the illusion that the trip will help your party in
any way. So please, do it. We will all benefit – both Israel and you.